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Six months after
People are more focused on the future now, six months after the earthquake and tsunami. So much that one survivor told the Japanese Red Cross workers that they were tired of talking about their feelings. But shortly after, when an aftershock hit the area, it was clear that the fears and worries are laying just beneath the surface. Read the story about the psychosocial support from Japanese Red Cross here. |
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Japan Red Cross' PSP team visit the evacuees every morning and measure their blood pressure. Photo: Nobuyuki Kobayashi/Japan Red Cross
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Sharing experiences
Six paramedics and supervisors from Magen David Adom (MDA) in Israel participated in the International Trauma Life Support course in Jerusalem, where instructors and doctors from the Palestine Red Crescent facilitated most sessions. While the two organisations cooperate effectively around emergency ambulance services, this was the first time that PRCS staff served as instructors for MDA personel. Read the full story here.
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Care after bomb and shooting continues
August 2011
The crisis centre at Sundvollen Hotel for those affected by the shooting on Utøya has now been closed. Red Cross volunteers will continue to provide follow-up care for those who have returned to their home communities Read here.
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 Norwegian Red Cross staff and volunteers also participated in the memorial services for the victims of the bomb and shooting incident. Some members of the Red Cross were also killed by the gunman at Utøya. Photo: Olav A. Saltbones/NorCross.
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Spreading a little happiness in Turkish border camps...
August 2011
Over 10,000 Syrians, fleeing domestic unrest, have been living in six ‘tent cities’ near the border for over a month. The camps are run by the Turkish government, while relief supplies and personnel are being supplied by the Turkish Red Crescent Society (TRCS). Despite the wider political considerations, real life goes on for the families uprooted by the events in their homeland. Over 20 babies have already been born in the camps, and a wedding has taken place: these happy events are made all the more poignant by the longing people have for the homeland; the worries they have for family members left behind. Read more by clicking here. |
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 Turkish Red Crescent psychosocial worker Petek Akman meets women and children in the camps set up for Syrians fleeing unrest across the border. Photo:Turkish Red Crescent Society.
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The Red Cross helps after explosion and shooting
24 July 2011
The Norwegian Red Cross has been in action since Friday night, helping to search for survivors and dead bodies after the bomb blast and the shooting on Utøya. Red Cross has also opened their centres across the countries to provide psychosocial support and published advice on how to help with shocks and traumas after the incidents. Read here |
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Norwegian Red Cross assisting survivors and relatives after the bombing in Oslo and the shootings in Utøya Friday. Photo: Ståle Wig/Norcorss
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Crisis in Japan: Psychosocial support to survivors of the earthquake
15 March 2011
Japanese Red Cross is assisting the survivors of Fridays earthquake in numerous ways (see more on IFRC homepage), among them psychosocial support.
85 medical teams are operating out of hospitals and mobile cinics treating survivors, with more than 600 people deployed to the affected areas. The teams are seeing a lot of cases of people who have almost drowned and are at risk of developing pneumonia. Also many burn cases have been seen, as well as wounds and cases of smoke inhalation. Read more. |
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MENA: Regional provision of psychosocial support
15 March 2011
National Societies in the Middle East and Nothern Africa have provided psychosocial support since the onset of the poular uprisings swept across the region. Tens of thousands of people have crossed borders fleeing from the violence and are now living in squalor conditions, exacerbating the risk of further tension and conflict. The insecurity people face about the future is only adding to the frustrations. Read more here. |
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Update on psychosocial support in Haiti
This report covers the psychosocial activities which have been implemented since the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti. It recalls the Haitian Red Cross objectives of psychosocial support programming as set in July 2010 and describes the achieved and ongoing activities since then, including cholera response related activities. For the full report click here.
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Community centres help people cope
Psychosocial support is introduced on a larger scale in villages across Sindh after the floods. Volunteers of Pakistan Red Crescent Society help children, women and men to get back to a normal life through different activities. The affected need more than food and shelter after a major disaster. They also need help to recover emotionally from their experiences and losses. Read more here.
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Emotional needs after the floods
The Pakistan floods not only caused physical damage and loss of life, many survivors are also suffering the psychological impact of the disaster which changed their lives. Dr Zeeshan Solangi, who is working on a Pakistan Red Crescent psychosocial support programme, says: “The floods affected people in different ways. Some tell us they have flashbacks and nightmares. |
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2011 marks the Red Cross Red Crescent Year of Volunteering.
Volunteerism is the foundation for the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement, that today represents 96 million people across the globe. With a global vision and call to action to encourage governments, civil society organisations and communities to appreciate and celebrate the efforts and achievements of volunteers, the RCRC will be launching initiatives that fall under three pillars: 1. Protect, 2. Recognize and 3. Promote volunteers. In 2010 the Reference Centre for Psychosocial Support carried out an extensive survey on National Society support to volunteers. The findings and recommendations have been published in a report available here or by clicking on the picture. |
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South-East Asia: Millions affected by six natural disasters
28 October 2010.
Volcanoes, tsunamis, typhoons and cyclones…over the past two weeks, five countries in South East Asia have been hammered by nature. Millions have been affected by six disasters that are stretching the resources of governments and the Red Cross and Red Crescent. In Vietnam, psychosocial support activities are reaching some 120,000 people after heavy floods destroyed thousands of homes. Read more....
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Chile: Red Cross continues its support to miners' families during successful operation
13 October 2010. Chilean Red Cross.
At ten minutes past midnight, Florencio Ávalos, the first of the 33 miners trapped underground in the San José mine to be rescued, emerged into the fresh air amid applause from the crowd present in the ‘Camp of Hope’. It was the last of 70 days of confinement, darkness, anxiety and fear, uncertainty and expectation. The miners’ ordeal has become one of the most emotional pages in the history of the country. Read more.... |
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Pakistan: Overcoming trauma after the floods
7 October 2010. By Arash Mokhtari, Swedish Red Cross and Valérie Batselaere, IFRC.
In Pakistan's southern province of Sindh, it takes mere seconds for the children in the camp for internally displaced persons in Shahdadkot to gather around Sara Klevmar, a Swedish psychosocial programme delegate. The boys and girls all rush to greet the familiar face, who has become a regular visitor to the camp. Read more here. |
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Haiti Situation Report
Psychosocial support services have been provided since January 2010 by Haitian Red Cross (HRC) volunteers, supported by the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement Psychosocial emergencies teams deployed in the very early stages of the earthquake operation. Following the emergency phase, the HRC engaged in a psychosocial support programming process which started mid-July 2010. This report covers the period from mid of July till mid of September. It presents HRC objectives and ambitions in the PS sector. It also covers the transitional phase from the emergency setting to a broader, long term, development framework. Eventually it describes the achieved and ongoing activities as well as the tasks to be realised during the transitional and programming phases which are due to be completed by end of December, marking the launch of the HRC five years psychosocial support programme strategy. Click here for the report. |
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PAKISTAN
The monsoon flash floods that hit Pakistan late July have effected 17 million people and destroyed more than 1,226,600 homes. It is the one of the biggest natural disasters in history. Psychosocial support is provided by the Pakistani Red Crescent Society, the Danish Red Cross psychosocial support team have distributed food and non-food items to 750 families in Swat, while the Turkish Red Crescent has set up a camp in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province. For further information click here. To watch the IFRC video on the impact of the floods in Pakistan click on the image.
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World Humanitarian Day
August 19th 2010 marked World Humanitarian Day, celebrating the efforts of all humanitarian workers around the world that have dedicated themselves to helping those most in need. The IFRC Psychosocial Centre is extremely pleased with the recognition given to humanitarian workers and has actively been advocating for increased protection and support to staff and volunteers - their extraordinary courage and perseverance must be safeguarded by ensuring that their needs are met. For more information and videos please click on the following link http://ochaonline.un.org/whd/
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Emmy-nominated documentary by the IFRC on surviving the Tsunami
In collaboration with Thomson Reuters Foundation, this documentary was produced to pay tribute to the people whose lives were transformed by the worst natural disaster in living memory. It demonstrates the resilience of communities in the face of catastrophe and the positive impact of humanitarian efforts. The project gave people the chance to tell their own, very personal stories, with help from top Reuters photojournalists and news crews. Click on the picture or here to watch the video.
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Palestine: psychosocial support puts smiles on orphans’s faces in Qalqilya
By Ali Obaidat, Qalqilya, West Bank. The work that Mary and her colleagues do with the children is not limited to smiles or solving troubles. It has also resulted in a manifest improvement of the children’s academic achievements. Ghadeer, a girl attending 5th grade, says her grades have improved since the PRCS started working in Dar Al Iman. Read more here. |
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Danger not yet over for Great Lakes albinos
Photo:A toddler at the Kabanga school for the disabled in Kasulu, Kigoma region, where nearly 50 albino children and teenagers are still sheltering. IFRC/Alex Wynter.
Thousands of albinos in East Africa, especially those living in Tanzania and Burundi, live in constant fear of their lives. The Red Cross societies in both countries are planning to increase their mass awareness campaigns to bring to an end the discrimination against people with albinism. Read more here. |
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HAITI: SICOSOSYAL FOOTBALL
6 May 2010 - By Alex Wynter in Petit Goâve / Photo by Jerome Grimaud.
The Red Cross Red Crescent psychosocial support programme in Petit Goâve, Haiti, has a serious side for adults and, for children, a fun side. But sicososyal (Creole) at any age is about healing. READ THE STORY. |
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WORLD RED CROSS RED CRESCENT DAY
8 May 2010
The Red Cross Red Crescent marks 8 May, World Red Cross Red Crescent Day, by focusing on urbanization. For the first time, more than half of the world's population is living in urban areas, with some unprecedented challenges. Several cities around the world are directly affected by armed conflict; Mogadishu, Kabul and Gaza City are only a few of a number of heavily urbanized settings where human suffering is being addressed by the Red Cross Red Crescent. |
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ICELAND: VOLCANIC ERUPTION PROMPTS RESPONSE
Photo: Eyjafjallajokul volcano on April 17, 2010. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson
29 April 2010 - The volcanic eruption in Eyjafjallajokull in S-Iceland has affected the lives of millions of people and prompted responses of several Red Cross Red Crescent National Societies in Europe, as well as across the Atlantic. The Icelandic Red Cross has been on the front line. Read the story. |
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ERUPTION IN ICELAND: RED CROSS RESPONSES
Photo: REUTERS/NERC Satellite Receiving Station, Dundee University, Scotland
20 April 2010 - The Icelandic Red Cross has responded forcefully to a volcanic eruption in Eyjafjallajokull in South Iceland. The eruption that began on 14 April, initially led to a temporary evacuation of approximately 800 people. A plume of volcanic ash has severely disrupted air traffic in Europe and thus affected millions of people. Those worst hit, however, are those living in the risk zone, close to the volcano. The Icelandic Red Cross has held several meetings with those living in area. It now runs a 24h-helpline and shelters where those affected can find refuge and information about psychosocial responses as well as talk to Red Cross staff and psychologists. - Iceland: Red Cross helps evacuees after volcanic eruption
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CHINA: THOUSANDS AWAIT RELIEF
15 April 2010 - The 7.1 magnitude earthquake that hit China's Quinghai province on Wednesday, 14 April, killed more than 600 and injured 10,000. Emergency teams are now pouring into the region. The neighboring Red Cross branch in Sichuan province is among those that responded immediately. Two years ago, 87,000 people died in a 7.8 scale tremor in Sichuan. The Sichuan branch is therefore experienced in psychosocial work, which will be crucial in coming days and weeks. Currently, thousands of homeless and injured await relief. - IFRC Information bulletin |
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GAZA: "IF YOU REALLY WANT TO EMPOWER PEOPLE..."
14 April 2010 - In a Red Cross Red Crescent Community Centre in Gaza City, 20 women sit in a circle and share their joys and sorrows. Umm Mahmood is here for the first time. She talks of not being shown respect by her family. Her husband is unemployed, her son is handicapped, and the economic plight, caused by the Israeli closure, is adding an increased burden. By telling her story, Umm Mahmood realizes that the other women face the same challenges, that she is not alone. Read the story.
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CHILE: THE MANY STEPS BACK TO NORMALCY
Photo: Psychosocial work with children in Valparaiso, in the wake of the earthquake. Chilean Red Cross.
25 March 2010 - The people of Chile have started their journey to recovery, after an 8.8 magnitude earthquake and tsunami struck Chile a month ago, on 27 February, 2010. Hundreds of aftershocks have been reported, threatening even further people's sense of security. As of today, a psychosocial support team from the Spanish Red Cross, seconded by the National Societies of Colombia, Ecuador and Nicaragua, has attended to around 2000 people. Repeated aftershocks, social unrest and concerns of the upcoming rainy season are in most cases the causes for people's distress. Establishing normalcy and giving basic information, is thus one of the main roles of 14 psychosocial delegates currently in the cities of Concepcion, Talca and Hualane. A number of local volunteers have been selected and trained in psychological first aid and community based psychosocial support. The focus in the past couple of days has also moved to giving support to hospital personnel that have worked tirelessly since the earthqake struck.
- Operational Update |
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PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT HIGH ON THE AGENDA
Photo: ICRC/Marko Kokic, Port-au-Prince, 24 January 2010
11 March 2010 - Psychosocial support, carried out by Red Cross Red Crescent staff and volunteers has made a huge difference to the lives of thousands of earthquake survivors in Haiti and Chile in past weeks and months. Of the 26 delegates the Spanish Red Cross has deployed in Chile, 10 are psychosocial delegates, whose aim it is to train volunteers in community based psychosocial support and psychological first aid, as well as provide support to targeted groups. Numerous aftershocks have added to emotional distress of the Chileans - the psychosocial focus is therefore on strengthening resilience and coping mechanisms.
In Haiti, the extensive psychosocial work that started nearly two months ago, is ongoing in Petit Goave and Carrefour in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area. As before, psychosocial support, carried out by delegates and local volunteers, is an integrated part of ERU field hospitals. As the focus of the humanitarian work has changed, the psychosocial work has moved to the streets and into camps for the homeless. Follow the most recent updates by checking out the links below...
- IFRC: Chile emergency appeal
- IFRC: Chile earthquake news story
- IFRC: Haiti earthquake operation |
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HAITI: PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT REACHING THOUSANDS
Photo: German Red Cross
5 March 2010 - When nearly two months have passed since an earthquake of magnitude 7.0 struck Haiti on 12 January, people are slowly turning back to normalcy, although the journey to recovery is long. It is estimated that more than 3 million people were affected. For most of them, life will never be the same. The psychosocial work, done in the two ERU field hospitals, is also gradually moving into camps and the streets of Petit Goave and Carrefour in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area. Among activities, carried out by psychosocial delegates and Haitian volunteers, are recreational activites for pre-school children, non formal schooling, tracing and restoring family links, creating child friendly spaces, hygiene promotion activities, support to grieving families/patients and awareness sessions on stress. Psychosocial support is also being provided to the volunteers themselves that all have been affected by the disaster. The possibility of broadcasting psychosocial messages, interviews and stories on local radio, in collaboration with Internews, is being looked into. That means that crucial information about issues such as psychological first aid, child protection and gender based violence, could reach a vast number of people in short time.
- IFRC: Operations in Haiti
- ICRC: Still meeting quake needs
- Internews |
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CHILE: THE EMOTIONAL IMPACT OF THE EARTHQUAKE
Women cry next to a destroyed building in Talca, Chile, February 27, 2010. REUTERS/Victor Caballero. 1 March 2010 - On 27 February, an earthquake of magnitude 8.8 struck central Chile. An earthquake of magnitude 8 or over is classified as a "great" earthquake that can cause "tremendous damage." In comparison, the earthquake that devastated Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince on January 12 was rated at magnitude 7.0. - Death toll, currently at 400, is still on the rise as rescue workers search in the debris. Around 2 million people are estimated to be affected. Significant aftershocks, ranging from 5.0-6.9, have added to the emotional impact. An estimated 500.000 thousands homes have been destroyed which means that hundreds of thousands of peple are living in the streets. The needs are great - and not only physical but also psychosocial ones. The Chilean Red Cross has a number of staff and volunteers trained to respond in the aftermath of disasters, psycyhosocial support being one of the main components. In 2007, the Chilean Red Cross responded to an earthquake measuring 7.7 and provided mobile medical units, emergency food packs, hygiene kits and psychological support. Responses now, build on the experience four years ago - Thousands are currently on the ground, giving assistance and taking part in rescue operations.
IFRC: Support for Chilean earthquake operation grows
IFRC: Information bulletin
REUTERS: Photo gallery from Chile
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HAITI: PSYCHOSOCIAL NEEDS REMAIN HIGH
Photo: Haitian Red Cross volunteer Ralph Toussaint with Kengo Jean at Camp Simon, Port-au-Prince, Haiti. American Red Cross/Talia Frankel.
24 February 2010 - The focus of operations in Haiti, one of the biggest operations of the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement's ever, has now shifted from emergency operations to recovery and rehabilitation. As of today, nearly 30,000 patients have been seen by Red Cross Red Crescent Emergency Response Units, where psychosocial support has been an integrated part and made an enormous difference, with its local volunteers and delegates. With the onset of the rainy season, new challenges will arise - both for the Haitian population, and the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement. The IFRC Reference Centre for Psychosocial Support is currently carrying out a real time evaluation of psychosocial responses in Haiti and a psychosocial expert is a part of an IFRC Recovery Assessment Team on the ground. Follow the most recent updates on the operation by clicking on the ICRC and IFRC links below.
ICRC: Resilience prevails as people struggle to rebuild.
IASC: Guidance note for Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Haiti
IFRC: Complete coverage of Haiti earthquake operation
IFRC: IFRC Videos on Youtube |
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| HAITI: AN OVERVIEW OF PSYCHOSOCIAL WORK BY THE RED CROSS RED CRESCENT 5 February 2010 - Thousands of people have already benefitted greatly from the many psychosocial support measures that have been taken in Haiti, in the aftermath of the earthquake that struck on 12 January 2010, nearly four weeks ago. This is the first operation ever, where psychosocial support is an integrated part of Red Cross Red Crescent emergency response. Psychosocial delegates and volunteers have worked alongside doctors, nurses and paramedics in two Emergency Response Unit (ERU) hospitals, one run by the Norwegian and the Canadian Red Cross, the other one by the German Red Cross. The result of that work has been very positive. Read more.
IASC: Guidance note for Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Haiti
IFRC: Complete coverage of Haiti earthquake operation
IFRC: IFRC Videos on Youtube |
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HAITI: PSYCHOSOCIAL VOLUNTEERS REACHING HUNDREDS OF SURVIVORS
26 January 2010 - In the past few days, psychosocial volunteers have made an enormous difference to the lives of hundreds of survivors in Haiti. Children that some days ago were so badly traumatized that they could not remember how old they were or where they used to go to school, are slowly starting to recover. Haitian Red Cross volunteer Sheila Gabriel together with Neley Forestal. The injured children suffer from emotional as well as physical trauma. Hopital General, Port-au-Prince. Talia Frenkel/American Red Cross.
READ THE STORY |
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| HAITI: PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT COMPONENT 22 January 2009 - In a couple of days, 19 Emergency Response Units (ERUs) will have arrived in Haiti. The current emergency operation therefore represents the largest ever deployment of these international emergency response teams in the history of the Red Cross Red Crescent. A psychosocial component to the ERUs, developed by the IFRC Psychosocial Centre and supported by the Norwegian Red Cross, has also been deployed for the first time. The component aims to facilitate support that meets the psychosocial needs of disaster-affected populations, and raise awareness among staff and volunteers about the benefits of providing such assistance as part of emergency response.
READ MORE
- IFRC Haiti
- IFRC on Youtube
- ICRC: Young and old line up
- ICRC: Situation slowly improving
- Management of dead bodies after disasters
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| HAITI: EFFORTS STEPPED UP 19 January 2009 - All aid efforts are currently being stepped up, in the wake of the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti on 12 January. Tensions are rising among the desperate population as they await emergency aid. The likelihood of finding people alive in the rubble is scant. "As we start to figure out that our loved ones are not going to be found, it is as if we are finally understanding what is happening to us. Today, people are fighting to survive," a 29-year-old survivor states.
Given the scale of the needs, the humanitarian task is enormous. The operation is already the biggest since the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. 16 emergency response units, an important element of facilitating relief assistance, have been deployed. Psychosocial delegates will work alongside their Federation colleagues to meet the needs of the affected. Psychosocial support has in many places been given to survivors that have been evacuated, as well as to Haitian communities abroad.
READ MORE
- IFRC: Haiti earthquake
- VIDEO: Emergency Health Response
- VIDEO: Staff and goods on the way
- ICRC: Situation is now catastrophic
- RCRC operation intensifies |
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HAITI: EVERYONE IS AFFECTED
15 January 2009 - Despair and anger reign in the island of Haiti where a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck on 12 January. The devastation is large scale and as many as 50,000 are feared dead. Around 3 million, or approximately one third of Haiti’s population is thought to be affected.
The need for psychosocial support is one of the basic needs of the survivors. “People who experience such severe stress may react very forcefully, panic or go into shock. Some may be unable to move or do anything at all. It is important to ensure care for people who are as severely distressed just like we would for people with physical injuries. Therefore psychosocial response is part of responding to the earthquake in Haiti,” explains Lene Christensen, IFRC Psychosocial Centre.
READ MORE
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GAZA: ONE YEAR AFTER WAR
12 January 2010 - Thousands of families in Gaza are still struggling with rebuilding their lives and livelihoods, and at the same time lacking the means to move on. "There has been scarcely any improvement in the situation since the end of the war in Gaza" states Pierre Wettach, the ICRC's head of delegation in Israel and the occupied territories.
A consortium of five Red Cross Red Crescent National Societes is among those running psychosocial projects in Gaza, with the aim of improving the quality of life of the affected, and enhancing psychosocial wellbeing and resilience of both individuals and communities.
MORE ON THE SITUATION IN GAZA:
- ICRC: Operational Update
- ICRC: Gaza, photo collection
- ICRC: Gaza, film
- Failing Gaza, full report |
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TSUNAMI FIVE YEAR COMMEMORATION
16 December 2009 - The IFRC and Thomson Reuters Foundation have launched a a web-based multimedia documentary, Surviving the Tsunami, linked to the fifth commemoration of the Indian Ocean Tsunami. Four short films, Stories of hope, based on personal stories have been produced in a partnership involving both organizations.
The project features an interactive map and a "Learn more" section with links to National Societies' programmes. We invite you to take a look at the Psychosocial Centre's own pages, Tsunami Lessons Learnt by clicking here. |
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| CLIMATE CHANGE HAS A HUMAN FACE 15 December 2009 - The world’s eyes are on Copenhagen, Denmark, where delegations from 192 countries have come together, in the face of one of the most defining challenges of our century. The aim; to pave the way for a new global treaty on climate change.
“Copenhagen is an historic opportunity”, states Bekele Geleta, Secretary General of the IFRC, reminding world leaders of their responsibility towards the most vulnerable. Bekele, outlining IFRC’s concerns and expectations, stresses the opportunity to protect future generations and then calls for a recognition of the humanitarian impact of global warming.
Among effects of global warming that can be predicted are more droughts and flooding, extreme weather incidents and rising sea level, with devastating consequences for millions of people. Current estimates are that more than 240 million people are affected by climate-related disasters every year.
The IFRC Psychosocial Centre covered the human consequences in a recent issue of Coping with Crisis, accessible here. For more information on the human impact of climate change, click on some of the links on the right. |
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A farmer collects water from a partially dried-up pond on the outskirts of Yingtan, Jiangxi province February 5, 2009. REUTERS/Stringer.
- UN COP15 Conference
- Copenhagen: An historic opportunity - Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre
- IASC: Addressing the Challenges |
STRONG FOCUS ON PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT AT GENERAL ASSEMBLY
4 December 2009 - The 17th session of the General Assembly held late November in Nairobi was unprecedented in several ways – it was the first time ever, the meeting was held on African soil, and also the first time psychosocial received quite as much attention.
Read news story |
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YOU NEVER FORGET WHAT YOU'VE BEEN THROUGH...
26 NOVEMBER 2009 - From the Democratic Republic of the Congo; Marie's story. In the midst of painful accounts of terror, brutality and torture, shines a ray of light: a story of resilience, showing us the impact of the ICRC's psychosocial programme.
Marie, a 22-year-old Congolese woman, suffered long-term sexual abuse. She is now trying to rebuild her life thanks to the ICRC programme of psychosocial and economic support in North Kivu. She does not complain about her fate, saying instead that she has turned a new page: "You never forget what you've been through, but you accept it." Marie is moving on with her life; she has put the past behind her to live in the present.
- News story
- ICRC: Views from DRC, June 2009
- ICRC: Views from DRC, August 2009 |
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NO ORDINARY MATCH - HEALING EMOTIONAL WOUNDS THROUGH SPORT
18 November 2009 - It's a beautiful day in Kitgum, Uganda. The sun is shining and the sky is blue. Laughter fills the air, coming from a small football field - the excitement of the players is tangible. A group of enthusiastic spectators is cheering from the shade.
It has not always been like that: time and space to play are the first things that disappear from the life of a child when there is a conflict or a natural disaster. In Kitgum the children have only recently started playing.
Read the news story
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PHILIPPINES: REGAINING A SENSE OF NORMALITY
18 November 2009 - It has been months after the country was crippled by the devastating onslaught of Ondoy and Pepeng, yet many Filipinos are still feeling the consequences of these typhoons.
These consequences are not only physical as having lost a house, but also psychological which is more alarming as it can lead to mental disorders if not prevented.
Read the news story |
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IASC GUIDELINES REFERENCE GROUP MEETING 27 October 2009 - The IFRC Psychosocial Centre, is currently hosting a meeting of the IASC Reference Group. The task of the group is to follow up on the implementation of the IASC Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings, established in 2007. During the meeting, case studies on implementation and dissemination of the Guidelines will be presented, from Gaza, Pakistan, Jordan, Nepal and Peru, to name a few. The meeting will identify priorities and come up with recommendations for 2010.
Among the Group´s objectives are to support capacity building through orientations and trainings, to disseminate the Guidelines and implement them in diverse countries through case studies at regional, national and community levels. The Reference Group is currently composed of more than 30 international agencies (UN agencies, intergovernmental organizations, Red Cross and Red Crescent agencies as well as NGO´s). The 2009 co-chairs of the Reference Group are UNICEF and World Vision International.
- IASC Guidelines
- Inter-Agency Standing Committee
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 The Guidelines are to provide a framework and to ensure a set of minimum multi-sectoral responses to protect and improve people´s mental health and psychosocial wellbeing in the midst of an emergency. - School children of Qurtuba school during psychosocial workshop facilitated by PRCS, Hebron, October 2009. IFRC/Jerome Grimaud. |
IFRC: PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT IN AN ECONOMIC CRISIS
20 October 2009 - "Psychosocial support programming, including advisory services, is mentioned by many National Societies as a developing need," is stated in an IFRC report, The Economic crisis and its humanitarian impact on Europe, launched 19 October 2009. Testimonies in the report, from Red Cross Red Crescent National Societes all over Europe, tell of a sharp increase in number of people in need, and in particular in groups that normally do not seek support. The combination of an increase in unemployment and a fall in purchasing power seems to have generated psychosocial difficulties in several countries. Some National Societies are developing extended psychosocial responses, originally for victims of disasters, to those affected by the crisis.
- Press release
- Full report
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AFGHANISTAN: SORROW BEYOND WORDS
20 October 2009 - "Afghanistan is one of the most beautiful countries I've ever seen, and some of the most terrible things happen there". These are the words of world renown war photographer James Nachtwey, that in 2009 went on a mission to Afghanistan for the ICRC (International Committe of the Red Cross), to document the hardship of the most vulnerable in this war-torn country. The journey brought Nachtwey to prisons, mental hospitals and a physical rehabilitation centre in Kabul. The result of his work, is accessible here.
- Afghanistan: No respite for civilians
- Afghanistan: The human cost of war |
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PHILIPPINES: CALAMITIES AFFECT OVER 6 MILLION
12 October 2009 - Typhoon Ketsana that struck 26 September, and typhoon Parma, that made landfall on 3 October, have now caused more than 600 deaths. Psychosocial support is among the most urgent needs in the islands.
"During disasters, psychosocial support is needed for immediate recovery", states PNRC Secretary General Gwendolyn Pang. The Philippine Red Cross has from the very start offered extensive psychosocial services to the affected. Thousands of volunteers have been working around the clock, undertaking search-and-rescue operations, providing relief and psychosocial support to traumatized families, reaching as many as 10,000 people. PNRC social workers have been deployed in evacuation centers where thousands have sought shelter. Home visits and children activities have also been conducted by PNRC social workers.
"The PNRC psychosocial support program entails comprehensive casework designed to help people in distress regain their social functioning or overcome a crisis situation to enable theme to deal positively with the emotional impact," says Pang. Most of the affected area is still submerged in water, making it impossible for the affected to turn back to their homes.
Read more...
- IFRC: Philippines - Typhoons
- IFRC: Operations Update - Ketsana
- Philippine Red Cross |
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ASIA DISASTERS: URGENT NEED FOR PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT
5 October 2009 - The Red Cross Red Crescent is currently responding to major emergencies that have affected millions of people across Asia. Typhoon Ketsana has caused destruction and death in the Philippines, Viet Nam, Laos and Cambodia, while earthquakes and a tsunami have claimed the lives of hundreds in Indonesia, Samoa and Tonga.
The survivors of the disasters are at risk of long term psychological distress without urgent help, which is why psychosocial support is high on the agenda in needs assessments and all Red Cross Red Crescent responses. In Samoa, several Federation assessment and coordination teams (FACT) comprise relief, logistics, health, water and sanitation, shelter, restoring family links and psychosocial support expertise. The Indonesian Red Cross has deployed hundreds of staff and volunteers, and at least 2 psychologists, to Padang, that was worst hit by the earthquake that hit on 30 September. In Indonesia, psychosocial counselling is identified as a priority. In Viet Nam, hit by typhoon Ketsana on 29 September, more than 2000 staff and volunteers are engaged in relief operations.
Read more...
- IFRC Emergency Appeal: Sumatra
- IFRC Emergency Appeal: Viet Nam
- IFRC Emergency Appeal: Samoa
- IFRC Operation Update: Samoa
- IFRC Information bulletin: Ketsana
- IFRC Humanitarian diary, Samoa
- BBC Humanitarian diary, Indonesia |
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THE EFFECTS OF THE TSUNAMI
30 September 2009 - The death toll from a massive South Pacific earthquake and tsunami has now reached 85 and is still rising. Hundreds are injured.
An 8.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami hit the remote Pacific islands of Samoa and American Samoa Tuesday, wiping out entire villages. Thousands fled to higher ground after the offshore quake struck in early morning, followed by giant waves. The Tonga and the Niua islands have also reported death and injuries.
New Zealand Red Cross is currently working with the Samoa Red Cross, assisting those affected by the disaster. Rescue teams, are working their way through the worst hit areas, assessing the full extent of the damage. Destruction is widespread with thousands left homeless.
The Indian Ocean tsunami, 26 December, 2004, which killed 230,000 people across 11 countries, is the worst on record. Psychosocial support was an integrated part in emergency responses and several psychosocial programmes have since helped the survivors to get back upon their feet.
- IFRC: Red Alert for Red Cross
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TURKEY: PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT TO FLOOD VICTIMS
21 September 2009 - The Turkish Red Crescent swung into action immediately after the devastating floods that hit north western Turkey earlier this month. A group of psychologists and social workers carried out needs assessments interviews, in order to implement a detailed psychosocial support programme, led by the UPSD (Union of Psychosocial Services in disasters) of which the Turkish Red Crescent is a member. The death toll has now risen to 37, and as many as 35,000 people have been affected.
The main aim is to assist the affected to cope with their loss and the changes the floods have caused in their lives. Schools have been used as shelters, which has also made it easier to reach communities. Individual and group interviews have been carried out and information about coping mechanisms have been disseminated. The UPSD also runs community mobilization activites as well as activities for children. Fourteen psychosocial experts have now given support to more than 1000 people. Services will be provided as long as they are needed.
- IFRC Operation bulletin |
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TURKEY: A HELPING HAND REACHES FLOOD VICTIMS
11 September 2009 - Heavy rains have led to a flooding disaster in Turkey in which more than 30 lives have been lost. A number of people remains missing. Estimates are that around 35,000 people have been affected. The flooding came following heavy rain on 8-9 September.
Turkish Red Crescent has sent specialized staff and volunteers to the districts of Silivri, Catalca, Basaksehir, Ikitelli, Kucukcekmece and Saray. Psychosocial experts, psychologists and social workers, have given input to needs assessments. The Union of Psychosocial Services in Disasters (UPDS) is supporting the operations of the Turkish Red Crescent, with at least 30 volunteers.
Meteorology services have issued a fresh flood alert, warning that heavy rain is expected in the northwest, west, south and north of the country Friday and Saturday.
- TRCS Full report |
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A NEVER-ENDING UNCERTAINTY
7 September 2009 - Enforced or involuntary disappearance has been called one of the cruelest form of human rights violation, since it gravely violates a number of basic rights. Families of the victims face severe psychosocial consequences and are marked for life - For years to come, they have to live with the uncertainty of not knowing the fate of their beloved ones. Women and children often bear the brunt. Due to its status, the ICRC is often the only link for the affected families to their loved ones. Today, it is estimated that secret imprisonment is practiced in around 30 countries.
The International Day of the Disappeared was recently marked worldwide. In Kashmir, thousands of people are estimated to have gone missing during the two-decade old separatist movement. Kin of missing people staged a demonstration in Srinagar to mark the occasion.
- ICRC: Missing persons and IHL
- ICRC: Guiding principles
- ICRC: A major humanitarian concern
- United Nations OHCHR |
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AMERICAS: PREPARING FOR HURRICANES
2 September 2009 - “The challenge of preparedness is making people aware without making them unduly anxious - putting out the word at the right time, in the right way”, says Diane Ryan, director, in the field of mental health, disaster planning and response, in the American Red Cross in Greater New York. Its Rapid Response Team is on standby throughout the Atlantic hurricane season whcich lasts approximately 5 months and is now at its peak.
Red Cross Societies in the Americas watch potential disasters, are prepared to stand down if the storm dissipates, or to activate all responses, at the right point in time. A great deal of time is spent on watching potential hurricanes that may never make land. The American Red Cross in Greater New York recently spent days on preparing for the storm Danny that eventually got torn apart. Currently the storm Erika is being monitored.
Hurricane Jimena, made landfall on Wednesday 3 September, on Mexico's Baja California peninsula, as a Category 1 hurricane, on a 5 step scale. Some 10,000 families had been evacuated. The Mexican Red Cross has determined that external assistance is not required. It has established a support unit for the emergency operation.
- IFRC bulletin on Jimena |
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GREECE: TENS OF THOUSANDS HAVE FLED
24 August 2009 - A state of emergency was declared Saturday in greater Athens in the face of what authorities are calling the most destructive fires in Greece since blazes killed more than 70 people in 2007. Read more. |
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TAIWAN: VILLAGES WASHED AWAY
17 August 2009 - Typhoon Morakot made landfall in Taiwan on 7 August 2009. The public authority of the island estimates that it has caused 126 deaths, with 61 people still missing and 45 injured to date. Hundreds are still stranded in cut off villages or buried under rubble. The Taiwan Red Cross Organization (TRCO) has mobilized more than 1,500 volunteers since the typhoon hit. The disaster is described as being the worst to hit the island in more than 5 decades. - Morakot also caused 22 fatalities in the Philippines and 8 in China.
Read more:
- IFRC Info Bulletin, 17 August 2009
- Red Cross races to help typhoon survivors
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GEORGIA/SOUTH OSSETIA: PEOPLE FORCED TO LIVE WITH LASTING UPHEAVAL
10 August 2009 - The fighting in Georgia, in summer 2008, continues to have a major impact on people of the region. A year after Georgian and Russian forces clashed in Southern Caucasus, most of the tens of thousands of people forced to leave their homes have returned. Read an interview with Pascale Meige Wagner, ICRC's head of operations for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, on the current situation. All have in common that they have to rebuild their lives. "The focus has now shifted to "normalizing" daily life", says Pascale Meige Wagner.
- The long road to recovery, photos by Antonin Kratochvil
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Pakistan: Civilians are struggling
20 July, 2009 - Thousands of Pakistani civilians who had fled the fighting in the Malakand Division of the North-West Frontier Province have started returning to their homes. A government-organised operation to take roughly 2 million home began on 13 July. Their safety and ability to live in dignity are paramount, states the ICRC. The security situation remains volatile in some parts of the province. The ICRC continues to help the internally displaced whether they choose to return or not. The majority of the internally displaced, in fact do not know what awaits them, some have even chosen to stay behind in the camps. A number of the internally displaced will be dependent on aid for many months to come.
Read more:
- ICRC: Displaced people returning home
- ICRC: Pakistan maps/ICRC presence |
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China: "Sharing the sunshine"
19 May 2009 - Stigma and discrimination is a part of daily life for many people infected with HIV. That is also the case for many migrant workers in the Chinese city of Suzhou, who were hesitant to take an HIV test or reluctant to go back to their communities after finding out they were HIV-positive. The benefits of the Suzhou Red Cross project "Sharing the sunshine" are that it can prolong further spread and prolong the life of the infected. It is clear that psychosocial support is and should always be an integral aspect of counseling associated with HIV testing and care.
Read more:
- IFRC Health and Community Care
- IFRC Publications on HIV and AIDS |
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Sri Lanka: Plight of civilians
15 May 2009 - The plight of civilians, caught in the conflict zone in north-eastern Sri Lanka, keeps growing. The ICRC reports that humanitarian assistance can no longer reach civilians. "Our staff are witnessing an unimaginable humanitarian catastrophe," says the ICRC's director of operations, Pierre Krähenbühl.
From a different place on the island, from the outskirts of Colombo, we bring you the story of a Tsunami survivor, Sandamali and her three boys. As of today, more than 218,000 Sri Lankans have received psychosocial support in the last three years, according to the IFRC.
Read more:
- IFRC activities in Sri Lanka
- IFRC Disaster managem./Tsunami operation
- ICRC in Sri Lanka
- ReliefWeb / Q&A Plight of Civilians
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H1N1 flu: What is the Mexican Red Cross doing?
5 May 2009 - 21 countries have now officially reported more than 1000 cases of influenza A (H1N1 infection) – popularly known as the Swine Flu. The World Health Organization has raised its pandemic alert to level 5 on a 6 level scale where the highest level is a global outbreak. Read our news story on psychosocial needs in Mexico, where the virus originated, and find out how the Mexican Red Cross has reacted, by clicking here.
Read more:
- Mexico: Mass Dissemination
- Mexico: In the Front Line
- Public health in emergencies
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Japan's fear of the unknown
Was that another earthquake? Is another tsunami coming? When will all this shaking stop? Has anyone seen my wife, my child, my grandchildren? Five weeks on from the worst natural disaster to hit Japan for more than a century – some would say the worst ever – the questions keep coming. Indeed day after day there are more of them, many stemming from a crisis around a nuclear power plant. Read more here.
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